When Educated by Nature began in 2014–2015, it wasn’t just about “getting outside.” It was about that moment you feel when a class finally lands – when children are absorbed, calm, inventive, brave, collaborative… and you can almost hear the nervous system of the group settle into place.
Our incursions are designed around that kind of energy shift.
Across a one-and-a-half hour session, we guide students through play-based, hands-on experiences that meet real play needs (not just “busy activities”). Some sessions have the quiet focus of small hands working carefully with natural materials. Others have the bright buzz of creative freedom, or the deep satisfaction of building something real with tools, teamwork and trust. And when a whole school books us across multiple classes and multiple days, that feeling spreads – the joy becomes contagious because children are getting the kind of play they’re wired for.
Everything we run is adaptable from Pre-Primary to Year 6, aligned to the WA Curriculum (SCSA / K–10 Outline), and designed to inspire educators with practical ideas they can continue long after we pack up.
Southeast: Flag Making
The Energy of a Quiet Mind
The feeling: Calm. Focused. Mindful. The quiet hum of children deeply engaged.
This incursion is often misunderstood. It is not about making a flag. It is about mindfulness through sensory connection.
Children:
- Whittle sticks
- Deconstruct wood to discover the layers of a tree
- Explore plant pigments and natural dyes
- Use repetitive handwork (hammering, stitching, smoothing)
Through this process, children enter a regulated, focused state – what many describe as “being in the zone.”
Intention for Students
- Develop focused curiosity
- Observe plant structures and flower parts in detail
- Understand pollination and plant communication
- Experience natural materials as resources
- Engage in mindful, repetitive handwork
Intention for Educators
- Experience how small, simple activities like whittling can shift classroom energy
- See how mindfulness can be embedded in science learning
- Gain confidence to introduce structured outdoor focus activities
(Whittling kits are available for schools wishing to continue the practice.)
Curriculum Links (WA Curriculum – SCASA)
Science – Biological Sciences
- ACSSU043 / ACSSU073: Living things have basic needs and features
- ACSSU017 / ACSSU044: Living things have features that help them survive
- ACSSU072: The growth and survival of living things depend on the physical conditions of their environment
Science – Science as a Human Endeavour
- ACSHE021 / ACSHE034: Science knowledge helps people understand effects on the environment
Visual Arts
- ACAVAM107–ACAVAM111: Use materials and techniques to create artwork
Sustainability Cross-Curriculum Priority
- OI.1, OI.2, OI.5: Interdependence of systems and sustainable use of resources
Sustainability Outcomes
- Deep valuing of nature through sensory connection
- Timber understood as a renewable natural resource
- Use of recycled bed sheets
- Exploration of plant pigments and ecological relationships
East: Loose Parts Play
Creative Freedom & Possibility
The feeling: Excitement. Energy. “Anything is possible.”
We arrive with a trailer of recycled loose parts (materials rescued from landfill) and create a pop-up junk adventure playground.
Intention for Students
- Experience open-ended, child-directed play
- Engage in multiple play types (Bob Hughes)
- Develop creativity, collaboration and problem-solving
- Exercise their right to play (UN Article 31)
Intention for Educators
- See how simple, reclaimed materials transform recess and lunch
- Understand the developmental importance of diverse play types
- Gain inspiration to implement daily loose parts play
Curriculum Links (WA Curriculum – SCASA)
Design & Technologies
- ACTDEP008 / ACTDEP014: Explore materials and develop design ideas
- ACTDEK004: Explore how technologies use resources
Health & Physical Education
- ACPMP043–ACPMP067: Fundamental movement skills
- ACPPS020 / ACPPS037: Personal and social capability
The Arts – Visual Arts
- ACAVAM106–ACAVAM110
Sustainability
- OI.3, OI.4: Sustainable patterns of living
Sustainability Outcomes
- Materials diverted from landfill
- Reuse culture modelled
- Creative repurposing of waste
Northeast: Muddy Gully
Sensory Risk & Earth Science
The feeling: Joyful. Physical. Liberating.
In Perth, children rarely experience clay-rich soil. Muddy Gully reintroduces this forgotten sensory landscape.
Intention for Students
- Engage in sensory risk-taking (challenge by choice)
- Understand soil composition
- Explore clay transformation
- Create earth paints similar to ochre
Intention for Educators
- Understand sensory risk-taking
- Celebrate mud and weather rather than avoid it
- Explore clay for motor development and therapy
Curriculum Links (WA Curriculum – SCASA)
Science – Earth & Space Sciences
- ACSSU019 / ACSSU075: Observable changes in Earth’s surface
- ACSSU074: Natural resources
Science – Chemical Sciences
- ACSSU018 / ACSSU077: Changes when materials are mixed
HASS – Aboriginal Histories & Cultures
- ACHASSK062 / ACHASSK083
Sustainability
- OI.5, OI.7: Sustainable land management
Sustainability Outcomes
- Reclaimed pottery clay reused
- Clay improves water-holding capacity in soil
- Connection to Australian landscapes
North: Tinkering Zone
Industrious Focus & Trust
The feeling: Capable. Strong. Empowered.
Children use real hand tools – saws, drills, hammers – with guidance and trust.
Intention for Students
- Develop confidence using tools
- Experience manageable risk
- Transform wood using human energy
- Feel capable and trusted
Intention for Educators
- See children’s competence with tools
- Shift focus from product to process
- Understand that risk can be managed safely
Curriculum Links (WA Curriculum – SCASA)
Design & Technologies
- ACTDEP015 / ACTDEP016
- ACTDEK019: Tools and equipment safely
Science – Physical Sciences
- ACSSU076: Forces can be exerted by one object on another
Sustainability
- OI.6: Sustainable use of renewable resources
Sustainability Outcomes
- Wood sourced from heat-treated pallets
- Renewable materials
- Human energy over electrical energy
Northwest: Hut Building
Shelter, Community & Belonging
The feeling: Village. Collaboration. Placemaking.
Children build cubbies together using rope, sticks, fabric and reusable connectors.
Intention for Students
- Experience teamwork
- Explore shelter as a human need
- Develop engineering thinking
- Build belonging through placemaking
Intention for Educators
- See cubby building as structured learning
- Learn essential materials for safe cubby building
- Create ongoing outdoor construction spaces
Curriculum Links (WA Curriculum – SCASA)
Design & Technologies
- ACTDEP015 / ACTDEK010
Mathematics
- ACMMG037 / ACMMG108: 2D shapes (triangles as strong structures)
HASS – History
- ACHASSK046 / ACHASSK083: Settlement and shelter
Sustainability
- OI.2, OI.8
Sustainability Outcomes
- Sustainable stick sourcing
- Recycled bed sheets
- No building in bushland
- Reusable structures
West: Imagination Village
Story, Fantasy & Deep Thinking
The feeling: Settled. Engaged. Creative.
In a container of storytelling, children play to discover their own resolution and ending to narrative.
Intention for Students
- Strengthen narrative development
- Engage in fantasy play
- Transform and mix plant materials
- Engage in small world microcosm construction and cubby building
Intention for Educators
- Understand the importance of play before formal work
- See how imagination deepens storytelling quality
- Learn simple loose parts setups, resources and invitations
Curriculum Links (WA Curriculum – SCASA)
English – Literacy
- ACELT1586 / ACELT1601
- ACELY1651 / ACELY1682
Science – Chemical Sciences
- ACSSU077
Visual Arts
- ACAVAM107–ACAVAM111
EYLF Outcomes
- Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
- Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
Sustainability
- OI.3, OI.4
Sustainability Outcomes
- Op shop materials
- Reusable loose parts
- Nature connection through story
Southwest: Fire
Responsibility & Respect
The feeling: Focused. Brave. Connected.
Children learn how fire works — what it needs, how to extinguish it, and how to respect it.
Intention for Students
- Understand combustion
- Develop responsibility
- Build confidence around a powerful element
- Connect with Australian fire landscapes
Intention for Educators
- Gain confidence supervising fire
- See children’s leadership and self-regulation
- Support schools implementing fire pits safely
Curriculum Links (WA Curriculum – SCASA)
Science – Chemical Sciences
- ACSSU018 / ACSSU077: Changes in materials
Science – Physical Sciences
- ACSSU049 / ACSSU076
HASS – Geography
- ACHASSK088: Environmental characteristics
Sustainability
- OI.5, OI.9
Sustainability Outcomes
- Understanding bushfire ecology
- Responsible fire use in Australia
- Cultural understanding of fire practices
South: Re:build
Building Big, Together
The feeling: Community. Capability. Achievement.
Children collaborate to build large-scale structures using pallets and power tools.
Intention for Students
- Work as a team
- Use tools safely
- Understand forces and structure
- Discover leadership strengths
Intention for Educators
- See hidden leadership emerge
- Recognise children’s capability outdoors
- Imagine what is possible with time and permission
Curriculum Links (WA Curriculum – SCASA)
Design & Technologies
- ACTDEP015 / ACTDEK019
Science – Physical Sciences
- ACSSU076: Forces and gravity
Health & Physical Education
- ACPPS037: Collaboration and leadership
Sustainability
- OI.6, OI.9
Sustainability Outcomes
- Pallets reused
- Reclaimed timber
- Large-scale reuse culture modelled
Why Schools Across Perth Book Our Sustainability Play Incursions
Our incursions:
- Align with the WA Curriculum (SCASA)
- Support the Sustainability Cross-Curriculum Priority
- Embed real-world environmental thinking
- Meet children’s developmental play needs
- Inspire educators to continue outdoor learning
If you’re looking for an incursion that students will talk about for weeks because it felt different, this is what we do best. We create sessions where children feel trusted, capable and deeply engaged, and where educators can see outdoor learning as something achievable: start small, borrow what works, and build it into your culture over time.
Many schools bring us back each year because these experiences become a rite of passage, a celebration of play, connection and community. Whether your students need calm focus, creative release, sensory challenge, teamwork, or the thrill of real responsibility, we can recommend an incursion that fits your cohort and your context.